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                            September 10, 2012On 11th Anniversary of 9/11, 64% More Afraid of Domestic Attack than Outside Terrorists
While the War on Terror continues, most Americans believe the bigger terrorist threat to the United States comes from within. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 64% of American Adults think a bigger threat now to the United States is a domestic attack. Just 18% believe an attack from terrorists outside the United States is a bigger threat, but another 17% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 7-8, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 10, 2012Magic of 2008 Eludes Obama After Flat Convention By Michael Barone
The consensus on Barack Obama's acceptance speech Thursday night, and in effect on the Democratic National Convention as a whole, is that it was a bust.
One reason may be optics. Obama was scheduled to deliver the speech in a stadium seating 64,000 people. But on Wednesday, after Charlotte, N.C., had been pummeled by periodic rainstorms all week, organizers moved the event to the convention hall.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 10, 2012New High: 44% Think Health Care Law Good for Country
For the second week in a row, 50% of Likely U.S. Voters favor repeal of President Obama’s national health care law. Forty-four percent (44%) are opposed, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
These findings include 40% who Strongly Favor repeal and 33% who Strongly Oppose it. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 7-8, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 9, 2012Obama’s Same Old, Same Old By Lawrence Kudlow
Perhaps the reason for President Obama’s flat and energy-less speech Thursday night -- TV cameras panning the convention floor actually showed delegates falling asleep -- was that he already knew Friday’s jobs numbers were going to be a disaster. The August unemployment report completely punctured his argument that if you just give him four more years, his policies will solve the economy.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 9, 2012Just 24% Say Colleges Do Enough to Stop Underage Drinking On Campus
Classes at many colleges are already in session which means full dormitories and another year of on-campus drinking reports.  Most Americans feel colleges should be held responsible for underage drinking on campus and feel not enough preventative action is being taken.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 54% of American Adults say colleges or universities should be held responsible for underage drinking on campus, up slightly from April 2011 Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree, while 11% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on September 4-5, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 8, 2012Goodbye Charlotte and 60 Days To Go By Kyle Kondik, Larry J. Sabato and Geoffrey Skelley
Whenever the Library of America -- the publisher that releases those elegant volumes with white, cursive writing on black covers -- comes up with its next book of classic political oratory, we’ve got a pretty good idea of two speeches that won’t be included.
September 8, 2012Called out by Republicans, Clinton Answers in Masterful Convention Speech By Joe Conason
Bill killed. Nominating Barack Obama for a second term, the former president brought to bear the full weight of his political experience and forensic skill Wednesday night, on behalf of a man who was once his adversary.
September 8, 2012Supreme Court Ratings: 29% Good or Excellent, 28% Poor
Positive ratings for the U.S. Supreme Court’s job performance are hovering near all-time lows.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Voters shows that 29% say the Supreme Court is doing a good or excellent job. Just as many (28%) say the high court is doing a poor job. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 8, 2012What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls - Week Ending September 8, 2012
What a way to end a convention. By most accounts, Democrats had a highly successful national convention in Charlotte, but Friday’s jobs report put a sour finish to a week President Obama’s party hoped would put him on the road to reelection.
While the results seemed to surprise many economic forecasters, American workers saw it coming. The Rasmussen Employment Index fell nine points in August to 72.0, the lowest level of confidence since October 2011. Worker confidence in the labor market is now roughly the same as it was in the month following the Wall Street meltdown in the fall of 2008. This is the second straight month that the number reporting layoffs topped the number reporting hiring. Prior to that, there had been eight straight months with more hiring than layoffs reported.
Concern about job security is rising. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of workers are worried about losing their jobs, up four points from a month ago and the highest level of concern measured in 10 months. Just 62% of workers believe it will be their choice when they change jobs. That’s down 12 points from July and down 19 points from May.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 7, 2012Most Voters Still Have an Unfavorable View of Reid, Pelosi
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continue to be the most disliked leaders of Congress, but none of the top congressional leaders earns high positive reviews from voters. 
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 29% of Likely U.S. Voters have at least a somewhat favorable impression of Pelosi, while 59% view her unfavorably.  Those figures include a Very Favorable review from 13%, compared to 46% who have a Very Unfavorable opinion of the California Democrat.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on September 3-4, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 7, 2012Most Say Childhood Obesity is a Serious Issue But Don't Want Gov't Involvement
American Adults continue to recognize the childhood obesity epidemic as a serious problem, but they don’t believe it’s the government’s job to control it. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 82% of adults say childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States today, including 43% who say it is Very Serious. Just 13% do not see childhood obesity as a serious issue. That's consistent with findings in November 2010 when Rasmussen Reports first asked this question. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on September 4-5, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 7, 2012Discover (R) Consumer Spending Monitor (SM): Consumer Confidence Falls For Third Straight Month in August
Consumer confidence fell in August for the third straight month, as the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor(SM) dropped to its lowest level since March 2009. Since January, the Monitor has been in a freefall, dropping nearly 13 points over the last eight months.
September 7, 201248% Give Obama Good or Excellent Marks for Leadership
President Obama continues to earn positive marks for leadership from nearly half the nation’s voters, but there’s a wide partisan difference of opinion on this question.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 48% of Likely U.S. Voters rate the president’s leadership as good or excellent. Forty percent (40%) think he’s doing a poor job. It’s important to note that these attitudes were measured prior to his prime-time speech Thursday night to the Democratic National Convention. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 7, 2012Democrats Think Clinton & Obama Agree on Economy, Others Disagree
Bill Clinton’s favorables are up after his impassioned promotion of President Obama at this week’s Democratic National Convention, but there is a huge partisan divide over whether the two men actually agree on what’s best for the economy. Most also believe Clinton was a better president than the man he was championing. 
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters consider Clinton who served from 1993 to 2001 to be a better president than President Obama. Just 19% think Obama is a better chief executive. Twenty-two percent (22%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
How did you do in this week’s Rasmussen Challenge? Check the leaderboard.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 5-6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 7, 2012Despite Convention Distractions, It's Still All About the Economy By Scott Rasmussen
Mercifully, the political conventions have ended. The political press will keep buzzing over whether Clint Eastwood's unconventional speech helped or hurt Mitt Romney and whether the snafu over Israel and God...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 6, 201211 Rasmussen Challenge Participants Got It Right This Week
Twenty-nine percent (29%) of American Adults went to concerts or theater events this summer, and 11 Rasmussen Challenge participants correctly predicted that answer this week. They're among 3,500 Rasmussen Reports readers who've participated in the Challenge so far.
Win an IPad by participating in the Rasmussen Challenge. How did you do this week?  Check the leaderboard.
The summer of 2012 is almost over, but it's not forgotten.
In fact, 48% of American Adults give this summer positive marks, including four percent (4%) who believe it was the best summer ever. Thirty percent (30%) say it was a good summer, and 14% more think it was excellent. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 20% rate this summer as poor. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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The two surveys of 1,000 Adults each were conducted on August 29-30 and August 31-September 1, 2012, by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 6, 201231% Think Victory Possible in Afghanistan
Half of all voters still support an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and are evenly divided as to whether that nation is a vital national security interest for our nation.  
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that a plurality (49%) of Likely U.S. Voters favor an immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while 30% are opposed. Twenty-one percent (21%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
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Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on September 1-2, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 6, 2012Obama Hobbled by Record, Slumping Democratic Brand By Michael Barone
"One question, Mr. President," read the words on the front cover of this week's Economist, behind a silhouette of the back of Barack Obama's head, "just what would you do with another four years?"

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                
                
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                            September 6, 201246% Think Their Pay Will Be The Same A Year From Now
For the first time since early January, working Americans think what they earn is more likely to stay the same over the next year rather than go up.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 40% of employed adults think they will be earning more money a year from now than they are making today. That’s in line with regular tracking since March and up from the low to mid-30s common to surveys since July 2009. But 46% now believe their earnings will be about the same in a year’s time. That’s the highest finding since July of last year and more in line with earlier surveying. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Win an iPad: The Rasmussen Challenge! How did you do in the latest round? Check the leaderboard later today to find out.
Sign up for The Rasmussen Reader, now just $24.95 for a 12-month subscription. Offer good through October 1, 2012. 
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 593 Employed Adults was conducted on September 2-3, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
September 6, 2012Better Off Than Four Years Ago? I'd Say By Froma Harrop
Are you better off today than you were four years ago? Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign zinger is back in 2012.